June 28, 2013

Bringing you another set of photos that Lynnette and I shot right before we left for camp :)

Photos by Lynnette Smith

First thing: I LOVE THE COLORS IN THESE PHOTOS. Sorry to scream, but just I really, really do. She noticed this spot as we were walking by, and suggested we take some shots there. I have never noticed this place before, and it is 5 minutes from my apartment! The red and turquoise look magical together. Remember this location... I'll be using it a lot in the future!

Also, I had this lollipop that I bought forever ago, and finally decided to use it as a prop. I'm a big fan of using props in photo shoots, as you can see here, here, and here. Matt isn't though, so it's always fun when I find someone who is more willing to play along. I think the lollipop helped add to the whimsical, retro vibe we had going on :)

June 26, 2013

This summer, I'm hosting an ongoing weekly series called "What I Love About Me," where I ask a variety of women bloggers what they love most about themselves! This was a project I started last summer, and I'm happy to bring it back.

In our culture, it can be hard for women to think and talk positively about ourselves. TV, movies, commercials, magazines, and even blogs constantly prodding us with messages about how we are supposed to look, act, and feel as women. It's easy to be susceptible to these messages, and it's not uncommon for many to find themselves on a constant quest to be "good enough" in society's eyes. On top of that, those who are confident and vocal about their good qualities are often thought of as arrogant, conceited, and sometimes others even feel the need to "take them down a notch."

With this series, I want to promote women realizing and celebrating the amazing aspects of themselves, without fear or shame.

After giving this question from Chantilly a lot - LOT - of thought, I decided that what I love most about myself is my ability push myself, especially when bad things happen. If you had to put a name to it, I guess you'd call it tenacity, persistence or determination. Or, as I'm going to refer to it for the rest of the post, total stubbornness.

Being finally happy with my appearance and who I was as a person at age 19, after being an extremely self-conscious teenager, it was suddenly ripped away from me when I was diagnosed with a terrifying, life-threatening (and unfortunately, lifelong) illness. This was 2 years ago now, and I'll be dealing with it for the rest of my life. Being put on a whole bunch of medications - which did save my life, I'll give them that - I was suddenly no longer in control of my appearance or how I felt. My face swelled up, I instantly gained 15 kilos, my skin became horribly blemished and I was having mood swings that were like PMS x 1000 every single day. I was no longer able to do a lot of things that I'd always taken for granted (including, at my worst, doing my hair and dressing myself. That wasn't a happy time for a fashion blogger). And, I wasn't able to concentrate for long periods of time and felt really stupid and slooooow (which was awful because I wanted to become a scientist!) It felt like everything I had been aiming for was being ripped away from me, and it all felt horribly unfair.

But you know what? I'm happy. Most days, I am really, really happy. And I am happy both because I had to learn how to put things into perspective, and also because I am stubborn.

I never let being sick stop me from doing what I wanted to do. At the height of my illness, I started going to University full-time to study science. I studied extra hard because I had such a difficult time concentrating in lectures.

Also, for some mad reason, I started up a fashion blog which kept me crazy busy. I refused to let the fact that my appearance had dramatically changed get in the way of sharing with the world something I was really passionate about. I dyed my hair bright blue and pink, to wrangle back some control over my appearance. I wore crazy wigs and some really out-there outfits. I kept myself totally busy, pushing myself to keep going, doing whatever I could manage to do. And now that I am doing much better than I have been in 2 whole years, I am really quite proud of myself for being ridiculously stubborn and refusing to let something bad take over my life.

So, even though it was something my parents always complained about when I was a kid when I would cry and scream until I got my own way, that quality has evolved into something that I really like about myself - my stubbornness.

June 24, 2013

A few weeks ago, I received a really adorable package from Shell of Kitty and Buck. She's a dear bloggy friend, and I was so surprised and excited to be the winner of a recent giveaway of hers. The assortment was full of cute (kawaii!) stuff she brought back from her recent trip to Japan.

I love everything... I'm really pumped to try and put together a lolita-esque outfit to pair with those frilly socks (where would I wear this outfit??!) But I was most excited about the jelly pens and the washi tape.

Washi tape is one of those things that I've always found really cool, but never got around to buying. Those types of presents are the best... stuff you always wanted to try, but never think to buy for yourself. I started fooling around a bit with the tape, and you can see it here in action on my pinboard.

I like the tape paired with the picture of me and my friend Anne when we were ten years old. It's a picture I treasure, and I decided to add the positivity message as well... I need more of those around :)

June 21, 2013

Hello again! Hope your week has been going swimmingly. Mine... well, it's a mess :) A really fun mess though! I will be able to elaborate better very soon :)

Anyway, I wanted to pop in and share some outfit photos. My friend (and camp roommate) Lynnette very graciously snapped these shots of me the day before we left.

Photos by Lynnette Smith

In case you were wondering, all items of clothing in this shoot is my new favorite everything. The tank top is an old staple. But I did a bit of shopping for new clothes before leaving, and snagged this skirt and scarf.

I LOVE 90's vibe of the skirt. I feel like it's even more 90's-looking in person. I'll be wearing it all summer long, but I also can't wait to wear it in the fall paired with black tights and a chunky cardigan!

Also, new favorite alert: these booties from The Scarpetta. I admit, they're really much more of a cold-weather boot. But since it's currently too warm to live out my fantasy of fall layers, I was happy to be able to sneak them into this summery outfit :) I cannot wait to break these babies out in the fall.

Look at me talking about clothing a season ahead of time. What am I, some sort of fashion blogger or something? (no, not really.)

And here, we have the lovely Lynnette! Isn't she gorgeous? Doesn't she look like she should have a fashion blog of her own? She slyly mentioned to me wanting to start one. (Tell her she should!)

June 19, 2013

This summer, I'm hosting an ongoing weekly series called "What I Love About Me," where I ask a variety of women bloggers what they love most about themselves! This was a project I started last summer, and I'm happy to bring it back.

In our culture, it can be hard for women to think and talk positively about ourselves. TV, movies, commercials, magazines, and even blogs constantly prodding us with messages about how we are supposed to look, act, and feel as women. It's easy to be susceptible to these messages, and it's not uncommon for many to find themselves on a constant quest to be "good enough" in society's eyes. On top of that, those who are confident and vocal about their good qualities are often thought of as arrogant, conceited, and sometimes others even feel the need to "take them down a notch."

With this series, I want to promote women realizing and celebrating the amazing aspects of themselves, without fear or shame.

It's no secret on this little space on the internet that I have struggled with insecurity and with myself. If I am completely honest I will tell you that one of the sins that I have to fight in my own icky heart is an occasional desire to "prove something".

To prove something to myself.

to others.

I have had a few situations in my life that escalated these problems in me.
I feel the need to prove because down deep I actually believe the opposite.

unworthy.
unlovable.
not good enough.

I recently got an email from this lovely lady to guest post, asking me "what I love about me". words. about what I love about myself.

um.

insert really uncomfortable here.

So I decided to make myself sit down and make a list of five things. 5 things. We can surely celebrate 5 things right!

1. I love who I am as a mother. I feel confident in this role. Secure and happy there.

2. I love that I am organized and a really hard worker. If someone gives me a role or a job or task- it will always be done on time and well.

3. I love that I am a free spirit and that I think outside the box. We have always chased our dreams and I love that. I love that my life is such an adventure.

4. I feel like I have the ability to connect with people well and that makes me happy.

lastly, 5. I like that I am okay admitting when I mess up or am wrong.

for today, let's celebrate ourselves. Because when we love ourselves I think we do have the ability to better love others.

June 17, 2013

How are things? By now, I should be just starting my descent into camp craziness. It was just a few days ago that my roomie Lynnette flew into NYC. She stayed with me for a few days, and we've had such an awesome time. She even took some style pics for me, and they came out gorgeous!

Anyway... I wanted to pop in and share a few shots/ stories from when we were in Rhode Island a few weeks ago...

As always, it was a nice reprieve from the city. In the guest room, they have this nice bed with a down topper, and a down comforter. I never want to leave it in the mornings. I melted into it each night, and forgot all about the things that have been stressing me out in the past few weeks.

They thoughtfully took us to the beach the day before we left (favorite place ever!) For the past few years, they've been going to this really cool spot, that you can only get to by four-wheeling down a sand dune. Let me just say, if you've never been four-wheeling in the dunes before, I highly recommend it! Not only are the sights and sounds enchanting, but the truck usually bounces... a lot. It almost feels like an amusement park ride :D

It was cold out that day, so I couldn't debut my new bathing suit (a polka dot Esther Williams one-piece!) I had to pile on a few towels to keep warm. Still, it was nice to see and hear the waves... something that calms me down no matter what mood I'm in.

I was unknowingly standing right next to poison ivy in this pic! Oops.

Afterwards we stopped at the Hitching Post... one of those little spots that you would never know existed if you weren't with someone local. It's known for some of the best clam fritters and New England "chowdah" around :) I remember going here when I was little.

June 16, 2013

Good morning, campers! Today's the big day! I'm up with the sun, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed ready to head off to camp for the next few months. So what important thing do you think I've been doing all day yesterday? Packing? Yeah, nope. Sadly, I've been procrastinating on that bigtime. Instead, I've been browsing the gorgeous selection of red dresses at Very.co.uk. Lots of lovely frocks to choose from :)

So. Many. Cute. Dresses.....

1. I love this retro gingham print! The shape is super flattering. It's the most casual of the lot, which makes it my fave :)2. Feminine and flirty :) I'd wear this to a summer dinner fete.3. Sheer layers. And ladybugs (yes, ladybugs!) Nuff said. 4. Put a bird on it! This dress has an adorable bird print. I don't care what Portlandia has say about it. They can pry the birds from my cold, twee hands.5. A nice pair of wedges to go with any of the above dresses. Maybe not so much the bird one. But some adventurous soul could totally make it work.